Background
A total artificial heart (TAH) is a form of heart replacement therapy that provides cardiocirculatory support in end-stage heart failure being used as a bridge to heart transplantation or destination therapy1,2. Due to limited availability of acceptable donor hearts, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), biventricular assist devices, and TAHs are becoming increasingly used as options for the treatment of end-stage heart failure if conventional treatment is failing.
Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a condition in which the superior vena cava (SVC) is partially blocked or compressed, leading to a constellation of symptoms including upper extremity swelling, shortness of breath, coughing, hoarseness, as well as more serious complications such as cerebral edema, confusion, multi organ dysfunction, and coma3.
SVCS is most commonly recognized in patients with malignancies4, and has also been reported to be caused by infections5, multiple catherization of the venous system, pacemaker placement, and heart transplantation3,6 -8. Management of SVCS is dependent on the severity of disease as well as underlying etiology. Percutaneous intervention for SVCS is a treatment modality which has provided successful results3. Although there have been reports of percutaneous intervention for relief of SVCS in those with heart transplantation6,9, so far there has only been one case being reported in the literature in regard to the treatment of SVCS in a patient with TAH, although this was caused by external compression of the SVC due to bleeding and tamponade10.